Mizuwari
A refreshing and balanced whiskey cocktail ∙ Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 9.1% ABV ∙
Mizuwari is a Japanese highball of blended Scotch whisky lengthened with chilled water and stirred, served long in a Collins glass.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Fill the glass with ice and stir until water forms in the base of the glass
- Add more ice and continue stirring to cool the glass
- Strain water from the glass
- Pour Blended Scotch whisky 60 ml into the glass and fill to the brim with ice
- Stir Blended Scotch whisky and ice, adding more ice
- Lastly, add Chilled water 150 ml (to taste) and stir briefly
- Garnish with a mint sprig
Tips
- Stir the whisky over packed ice, topping up as it melts, so the drink is fully cold before the water goes in.
History
Mizuwari, meaning "cut with water" in Japanese, is not a single invented cocktail but a customary way of drinking spirits in Japan: roughly one part liquor stirred with about two parts cold water and ice. The practice traces back to Japanese shochu-drinking traditions, where diluting the strong distilled spirit with water made it easier to drink alongside food.
The style was carried over to whisky and spread widely from the mid-1950s onward, as whisky drinking took off in Japan and companies including Suntory, Daikoku Budoshu, and Nikka competed for market share in what became known as the whisky wars. Through the 1960s, drinking whisky diluted with two to two-and-a-half times its volume in water became common practice in bars and izakaya, often alongside the "bottle keep" system that let regular patrons store their own bottle at a bar. Some accounts credit Suntory specifically with popularizing mizuwari as a whisky drink through a marketing push meant to make whisky more food-friendly. That sits alongside the broader consensus that the custom grew out of postwar drinking habits and older shochu tradition rather than being created at one moment.
FAQ
How do you make a mizuwari?
Chill a Collins glass with ice and pour off the meltwater. Stir 60 ml blended Scotch over fresh ice, topping up as it melts, then add about 150 ml chilled water to taste, stir briefly and garnish with a mint sprig.
What is mizuwari in Japanese?
Mizuwari (水割り) literally means "water-divided" or "cut with water" in Japanese, from mizu (water) and wari (to divide or dilute). The name simply describes the drink's method: whisky diluted with water over ice.
What is mizuwari in English?
Roughly "whisky and water": whisky lengthened with still water instead of soda.
How does mizuwari compare to other whisky highballs?
Mizuwari uses still chilled water instead of soda, so it has none of a whisky highball's fizz and drinks softer. At about 9% ABV it is gentler than most whisky drinks, made for sipping slowly through a meal.
Is mizuwari better with ice or without?
With plenty of ice. It chills the glass first, then keeps the whisky and water cold and slowly diluting throughout the drink.
What is the mizuwari ritual?
The order of steps: chill the glass, stir the whisky with fresh ice, and only then add the water. In Japanese whisky-drinking culture that sequence is treated as being as important as the ratio.
